By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
An entry into a saturated genre must have a creative perspective and an emotionally charged storyline to not get lost in a sea of forgettability. Unfortunately, Oscar winner Steve McQueen fails to deliver a memorable, heartfelt production. “Blitz” is a WWII drama that is based on actual events but is a fictional story with fictional characters.
From September 7, 1940, to May 11, 1941, Nazi Germany bombed London and surrounding cities relentlessly in an attack campaign called the Blitz. Many parents were encouraged to evacuate their children via train to the countryside to keep them safe. For a single mother like Rita (Saoirse Ronan), this felt like her only option to keep her son George (Elliott Heffernan) out of harm’s way. George, upset about being abandoned by his mother, had other ideas, throwing himself off the train mid-journey.
All alone, George attempts to make the long trek back to his home in the city. German bombs are not the only danger looming before him, as he comes face to face with starvation, racism, and evil grave robbers. When news of his disappearance makes its way back to London and Rita, panic and despair take hold as she rushes to find him before it’s too late.
Ever since he won the Best Picture Oscar for 2013’s “12 Years a Slave,” writer/director Steve McQueen has not been able to come close to that level of success. For “Blitz,” he creates a well-intentioned story that certainly had promise but ultimately falls flat and emotionless. There are a number of reasons why this occurs, but the most prominent reason is that there’s a detached telling of the story that doesn’t allow the audience to connect with the characters. McQueen seems unsure about his direction as he abruptly shifts focus from a homesick boy desperate for his mother to racism in 1940’s England, only to haphazardly subdue that messaging with a quick speech from a side character. Then, he inexplicably incorporates imagery of daisies at random moments throughout the film to add his artistically disjointed flair that leaves viewers confused.
One thing McQueen does well is capture the authenticity of that particular historical moment. The art direction and costuming are on point, painting an accurate depiction of WWII London. He successfully harnesses the feel and mood of the nightly bombings, and people scrambling to cover underground. This credibility is undercut by McQueen’s baffling decision to include an unnecessary macabre scene involving grave robbers grotesquely playing with the detached limbs and bodies of the recently killed.
Perhaps the biggest mistake of Steve McQueen’s is his disappointing underutilization of a four-time Oscar nominated actress in Saoirse Ronan. This is a brilliantly talented actress who should be at the forefront of most scenes. Instead, she’s relegated to more of a background role as the boy’s mother with very little time dedicated to developing her character and backstory. She’s the kind of actress who can bring the emotional impact to a movie all by herself, as she’s demonstrated in films like “Brooklyn” and “Lady Bird.” Sadly, her performance is marginalized into one of ambivalence.
Another mistake was casting Elliott Heffernan, who has never acted before, for the starring role. Having an inexperienced young actor in such a pivotal role as this is never a good idea, and his inability to show any emotion outside of sullen silence leads to disaster. He has no connection with the character, leading to long, drawn-out scenes where the audience is unable to have any emotionally vested interest. Elliott is but a child actor, however, so place the blame for putting him in this position to fail firmly at the director’s feet.
Ultimately, this is an unremarkable WWII movie with a mess of intentions. “Blitz” is not worth a trip to the theater, but the good or bad news is that it will be available to stream on AppleTV+ later this month, so you can watch at home if you have nothing better to do.
This movie earns:
